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Relative difficulty: Hard (11:40)
THEME: CROSS POLLINATION — Hybridized, botanically … or like four pairs of answers in this puzzle (and the circled letters they intersect on)?
Theme answers:
Word of the Day: HAMM (Soccer great Mia) —
Hey squad! Welcome to another Malaika MWednesday. I solved this puzzle while taking the train home from seeing Mother Mary with Anne Hathaway. That girlie is in so many movies this year!
I respected this theme a lot as a constructor. Puzzles where the theme answers cross are deceptively tricky to make. And some people may complain that there are no long theme answers (well, there's the revealer), but six medium-length answers that intersect are way harder to deal with than four long entries all going horizontally. You can see that James cordoned off each of the pairs in the corners as best he could, although HIBISCUS does have to intersect with the revealer as well.
- BLUEBELL and HIBISCUS intersect at the B
- ASTER and PEONY intersect at the E
- VIOLET and AZALEA intersect at the E
- PRIMROSE and DAISY intersect at the S
- The "crosses" create a "pollinator" (bees)
Word of the Day: HAMM (Soccer great Mia) —
Mariel Margaret "Mia" Hamm (born March 17, 1972) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a forward and midfielder for the United States national team from 1987 to 2004. She competed in four editions of the FIFA Women's World Cup, winning in 1991 and 1999. She won gold at the Olympic Games in 1996 and 2004, and won silver in 2000. She was a founding player of the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA)—the first U.S. professional women's soccer league—where she played for the Washington Freedom from 2001 to 2003. She played college soccer for the North Carolina Tar Heels, helping the team win four NCAA Division I Championship titles. [wiki]
• • •
I respected this theme a lot as a constructor. Puzzles where the theme answers cross are deceptively tricky to make. And some people may complain that there are no long theme answers (well, there's the revealer), but six medium-length answers that intersect are way harder to deal with than four long entries all going horizontally. You can see that James cordoned off each of the pairs in the corners as best he could, although HIBISCUS does have to intersect with the revealer as well.
 |
| I love when foods are known by different terms. When I buy dried hibiscus from my grocery store in Crown Heights (I use it to make cocktails) I ask for sorrel, but when I get an agua fresca at a taqueria, I order jamaica. |
The fill didn't suffer too much, although OTS, ELAN, and MOOLA weren't great. I have always seen it spelled "moolah" and there was no "Var" tag on the clue so I really hesitated to fill that one in. I loved ODD NUMBERS and HOLY TOLEDO-- that central section almost felt like a themeless puzzle!
I appreciated the extra layer that the circled letters added. I was actually expecting some sort of turning theme or rebus, but seeing what they spelled out was a cute second reveal. I think it would have been enough to have flowers intersect, so it's nice to see the theme elevated one step more. Ultimately, I finished this with a smile on my face because it's warm today and I love flowers and I got to drink a margarita in the sun for Cinco de Mayo and this puzzle felt like spring spring spring spring spring and I have a tattoo of beautiful roses on my leg that I finally get to release from its Jeans Prison. What did you guys think? What's your favorite flower? Any flower tattoos from any of you guys?
Bullets:
- [Airdrops?] for MIST — Nothing much to say except that this is a great clue
- [Bloom whose toxic nectar is one source of "mad honey"] for AZALEA — I read a Jodi Picoult book called Mad Honey which was a collaboration with Jennifer Finney Boylan. I loved it but I love all of Picoult's books, as long as I read them spaced out.
- [Besties] for PALS — This one gave me pause because those two words are not the same thing to me! My bestie is a very very close friend, and my pal is a casual aquaintance.
- [Company man?] for ACTOR — Is this referring to the show Company?
P.S. I gave an interview about crosswords! You can read it on page 25 here. There's a themed puzzle there as well, which you can either print out or solve online here.
[Follow Rex Parker on BlueSky and Facebook and Letterboxd]
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- Westwords (Berkeley, CA, Jun. 14, 2026)
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- Pop Sensation (vintage paperbacks)
Easy-medium. I noticed all the flowers but did not fully grok the theme or the BEES until after solving the puzzle.
ReplyDeleteNo WOEs and no costly erasures.
Costly misread - I read “dispensary inits.” as “units” and put in Ccs instead of CBD. (mild dyslexia is no fun).
Smooth grid with a bit of sparkle and a fun/clever theme, liked it.
I'm with you, with both mild dyslexia and Ccs!
DeleteSame dispensary error! Didn’t realize until there was no congratulations at the end.
DeleteSame here on both difficulty and error. Way below my average time too.
Delete@jae, ditto for CCS.
DeleteParticularly since Mel C is also a spice girl!
DeleteSolving this puzzle on a very very wet and cold, not spring feeling morning in lovely Berlin, so the flower theme doesn’t fit but that’s ok! I thought it was fairly on par with regular Wednesday difficulty, thought the NW corner was toughest for me. REAPER and the cluing for CAMO just didn’t click for me!
ReplyDeleteMy internet messed up this morning... so I think I was around 15 minutes, so yeah, challenging for a Wednesday. Thanks for the write-up, Malaika! I agree with all what you said--nice, multi-layered theme! Not much junk. Great puzzle. 6 down was cute as clued; TIL that Occam's razor is named, not for the guy (William) but where he's from (?!?!?!). I do have a question... You said you like to read Jodi Picoult "spaced out"??? wondering exactly how you achieve that state! Anyhoo.... have a blessed Wednesday, everyone, and thanks for a terrific puzzle, James Mattina!
ReplyDeleteI read "spaced out" to mean with some amount of time between books, not as a description of her mental state.
DeleteRick Sacra
DeleteI think you misinterpreted things The philosopher
Wiliiam of Occam may have been born in Occam but Occam’s Razor most definitely refers to him, as Ovcam is considered his last name. I think it is similar to Thomas à Becket being referred to as Becket.
Malaika - a company is a group of actors and actresses.
ReplyDeleteI think it’s more than that. I would include everyone involved in a group that mounts theatrical productions, particularly a touring one; cast, director and various crew members. Of course, in a small company all the other functions may very well be filled by the cast members themselves.
Delete
DeleteA company means the actors.
ReplyDeleteI found it a lot Easier than @Malaika did. I agree about the missing H in MOOLA.
* * * _ _
Overwrites:
My 20A dispensary was concerned with thc before CBD.
bffS before PALS at 37D (should have realized it was wrong because of "best" in the clue).
Before reading the clue I had SOCRATes before SOCRATIC at 59A.
No WOEs.
Also missed the H in MOOLA. I would love to see "MOOLAH" clued as "Fabulous female wrestler!"
DeleteCute enough I guess - I love the botanical slant and it is temporal. Don’t do the circles so that fell flat for me and I was hoping to see some type of hybrids of the crossing themers as a result of the revealing action.
ReplyDeleteThree Rags For String Quartet
The spanning revealer is the highlight. All the themers are great - simple but pleasant to get and picture as spring slowly arrives. The PRIMROSE x DAISY cross shines. The word of the day is BLUE BELL.
Alison Moyet
Are HIBISCUS in leis or behind ears? SOCRATIC, NOT FOR ME, MEMPHIS are all solid. The overall non-theme fill here is pretty solid. Efficient use of black squares in the grid.
When the little BLUEBELL
At the bottom of the dell
Starts to ring Ding dong Ding dong
I expected a little something different but any puzzle that promotes the start of spring is alright with me. A pleasant Wednesday morning solve.
Laura Cantrell
I agree. Typical le'i flowers are orchids & plumeria (frangiapani), though each island has its own favorite flowers. Hibiscus are kinda too big, frail & floppy to be strung up
DeleteYeah, I've lived in Hawaii and you don't use hibiscus in leis, just tucked behind an ear or in your hair. That clue was a miss for sure.
DeleteI have also lived in Hawaii and that was my exact thought! Hibiscus just disintegrate and get all mushy.
DeleteNo hibiscus flowers in leis, yes in hair, yes to plumeria in leis.
DeleteThe cast in a theatrical performance is referred to as the company
ReplyDeleteFlowers found in leis are typically orchids ...............
ReplyDeletePlumeria regular kine but orchid if you go Punahou or you wen graduate McKinley but got in USC an yo aunties real proud
DeleteI’d say carnations would be the step up from plumarias
DeleteAnon 9:20 AM: 😊
DeleteAnon 6:44 AM: I agree that the clue was off, but that's because hibiscus is more usually worn behind a woman's ear. Plumeria, tuberose, carnations, orchids, tiaré flower, and jasmine are all used in leis.
I'm rarely faster than Malaika but I did this in 9:15 while rewatching an episode of Banshee. No sticking points. It was cool learning about mad honey since I have a bee hive.
ReplyDeleteRe “company man,” the cast of a show is often called the company.
ReplyDeleteWhat bothered me was the bad biology — the flower crosses can’t interbreed, so cross-pollination cannot happen.
ReplyDeleteAha! A wacko gardener. I knew you'd show up. My dear wife belongs to your cult and I'm afraid to mention this puzzle to her for just the reason you mentioned above.
DeleteFear not. These flowers do all cross pollinate. Pollination means pollen from the stamen to the pistil's stigma. Self pollination is within a single flower. Cross pollination is between/amongst multiple flowers (usually via pollinators e.g. bees or wind), almost exclusively within a species.
DeleteOhhhh I get it, your objection is that violets don't cross pollinate with azaleas. They are all cross pollinators, and they do cross, no?
A company is what you call a group of actors usually all working for the same theater group
ReplyDeleteHey All !
ReplyDeleteWhere's the BEES animation? I wanted the circles to be replaced by fluttering BEES!
INTIRGUing puz. Nice, but not getting ME TOO to say HOLY TOLEDO, BATMAN!. Maybe if it had BEE animation ...
Did enjoy this, my silly banter trying to include entries aside. Got yer POLLINATing BEES at the crosses of eight FLOWERs. Only 34 Blockers. Nice fill. Lots of open space to try to fill cleanly. Good job on that, James. Neat clue on TOMATO.
Almost a point for Rex, but turned out to be REI. I write in the RE, then wait on crossers. Haven't had any additions to the Names List in a bit. No ROOs, PABLOs, REXs, EG(G)S, LESSMOREs. If your name pops up, and want to be included in the race, let me know! For those keeping score at home, there's :
ROO - 5
egs - 4
Les S More - 3
pablo - 1 3/4
Rex - 1
😁
Hope y'all have a great Wednesday! (And not to hung over from Cinco de Mayo.)
One F
RooMonster
DarrinV
@Roo, fluttering BEES would indeed have been a nice touch. We did not notice (why would we?) what the letters in the flower crosses spelled until we finished; although my wife asked early on "wonder if the circled letters spell something related".
DeleteClever theme, whether or not the indicated flowers were genetically compatible for CROSS POLLINATION.
IMO, this would have gotten three stars from Rex, which ends an atrocious streak to start the week.
I wish just once I could remember the marijuana initials. I mean, the ads are everywhere; print, TV and radio. There are dispensaries all over the place. And I know it’s three consonants. But ask me what the letters are, and my brain goes “KGB? DVR? PVC? GBS? PTL?”.
ReplyDeleteFavorite flowers are bluets (Houstonia caerulea).
Peonies are my favorite, great Peony garden at U of Mich Nichols Arboretum
Delete@ChrisS reply to Kitshef, the UM Peonies are indeed breathtaking, both the physical beauty when they are in full bloom, but to a peony lover, the fragrance of that display is intoxicating. And this from a Columbus OH native!
DeleteI never saw the gimmick, even after I got the reveal - possibly because the theme answers are self-sufficient on a stand-alone basis.
ReplyDeleteI had a dnf at the cross of MELB and CBD, which I thought was kind of unfair. I think I may have seen MELB in a prior grid, but I don’t know anything about them and don’t commit that type of thing to memory. I believe that CBD is available in some regular smoke shops (I may be mistaken on that one), but anyway it just didn’t register as clued.
I think Malaika was more generous in her review than Rex would have been - but then again, duh - which one of the guest hosts in the normal routine wouldn’t be ?
@Johnny, did you read Chris Sunday?
DeleteSince visiting this blog a few years ago, I have developed, IMO, an appreciation for two things. First, a challenging, clever, well constructed, minimally junky puzzle. Second, the entertaining way that Rex (picks one) nitpicks, criticizes, lambastes or eviscerates a puzzle, in whole or in part.
I'm not always in sync with his ratings (the undivulged rubric for which I continue to obsess over), but when I am, his words of validation (jiving with the assessment of a comparative puzzle novice) are music to my ears.
ME TOO and PETE Buttigieg appear today; a nice cleansing of the vile trio from yesterday.
The undivukged rubric? What tge hell is that?
DeleteI don't associate hyacinths with leis, or bluebells with prairies, but hey, they're flowers, close enough for me. And I don't care whether these four pairs of plants can cross-breed or not--we're talking about words in a grid, not actual flowers in a garden, and they do, in fact, cross. Themes are supposed to change the meaning of common phrases, and this one does. But what's POLLINATED about these crosses? Just the fact that there are BEES lurking in the circles? Too much of a stretch for me.
ReplyDeleteI've never been good at musical genres, so I thought the Stax museum might be in dEtroIt. Took a while to sort that one out.
Lots of nice clues. I liked the ones for VISITOR and VISA especially.
Detroit's big soul label was Motown. They have a museum there, too.
DeleteGreat interview, Malaika! (Haven't done the puzzle -- yet.) I've parked across from the Writer's Center many times but never entered. I had no idea they published a magazine; I'm going to sign up for my free subscription! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteMostly meh, but overall an easy solve. 5:07. On to Thursday!
ReplyDeleteEven after many years of solving puzzles, I found this one to be pretty hard for a Wednesday. I had a natick at the last box of 7 Down.The misdirects were getable and fun.🎈🎈🎊🎊
ReplyDeleteNever heard of CBD oil?
DeleteAnonymous 10:19 am
DeleteA bit snarky no? You seem to misunderstand the process of memory
The question is not whether I or the previous anonymous has ever heard of the oil but exactly what letters. I almost never watch programming with ads or even online ads. So there is nothing to reinforce it . (No I forgot what the letters stand for, which would help) I knew it was either B or G. and the cross didn’t help. Similar problem with MEL.
But it’s not a natick because neither the name or the product is obscure I am sure things like that happen to you
As others have said, the rare puzz with no WOE's. Feeling all hip and youngish for having learned BRB and SMH from crosswords, although my next text will be my first one. I can even use HELLA with a fair amount of accuracy. And there's that Spice Girl MEL, although I needed the cross to know which one.
ReplyDeleteSlight hang up in thinking the DC was Washington and having trouble trying to think of a "good guy" connection. Sign of the times.
No tattoos or piercings here Malaika. Wrong generation, I'm afraid.
Very pleasant Wednesday, JM. June May have more flowers, but things are starting to look pretty springy around here, so very timely. Thanks for all the fun.
Girlie, for Anne Hathaway??? I’d be horrified to read that anywhere, but it’s especially disconcerting on Rex’s blog.
ReplyDeleteHorrified? Really?
Delete“Girlie” is affectionate. And common. Weird to be “horrified”
DeleteThe infantalizing of professional women may be common, but it’s not OK. If said amongst friends girlie can be fine. In this context, no…
DeleteYes this professional woman is definitely “infantilizing professional women” in her writing 🙄 Back to BlueSky with you, oh scolding humorless one
Deletefound this one to be relatively easy. 4 min and some seconds faster than my wed average. enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteThis basically played as a "themed themeless" for me. The theme was... flowers. Eight answers about flowers, a subject I know absolutely nothing about. Definitely out of my wheelhouse, but I'm glad these sorts of puzzles exist for the folks who like them. And its certainly the right time of year for this kind of theme(less). And I'll take it over some Disney intellectual property theme timed to come out on May 4th.
ReplyDeleteImpressive feat of construction, this one. One of those where I was sure I'd have to throw in the towel after my first across pass. I think I only had LIE, AWE and TOMATO. The clue for the revealer was almost a TLDR (too long didn't read) for me so I was sure I'd have real trouble there - and that was my always welcome spanner! Turns out the downs were a fun whoosh whoosh experience and much came together pretty quickly.
ReplyDeleteSeveral nice longish ones and again, I got my spanner.
Thank you Malaika for pointing out the circled letters, I neglected to pay attention to that and only here did I catch what they spelled out. That was indeed a nice additional thematic layer, no easy task.
Growing up on the gritty streets of upper Manhattan in NYC, I never paid too much attention to flowers other than a very nice path in Fort Tryon Park that my parents used to take us. So the subject matter was not exactly my cuppa but legions better than yesterday's :o)
I will add that being a suburbanite for the past 25 years, I have a great appreciation for AZALEAs as they are now in full bloom in my backyard - I take no credit for them, that's all my wife. I just look at 'em in AWE.
Thank for this one James. There was a lot of good stuff going on here.
The above was me (Hugh) still not sure why showing up as anon..???
DeleteGreat interview, Malaika—thanks for the link. I’m looking forward to solving your literary puzzle!
ReplyDeleteStudent: Excuse me. Could you tell me why I can't find JUDO in this condensed encyclopedia?
ReplyDeleteLibrarian: Yes. You're looking in the volume marked Damascus-to-Hologram. You need to look in the one marked HOLYTOLEDO.
Student: Oh well, I'll just ask ChatGPT.
If you don't like working-class flowers, I know of one that will definitely be too PEONY for you.
A REAPER is, presumably, someone who mimics again.
Quite a coincidence having two defunct railroads in the NE. THE CAlifornia-MissOuri and the Delaware-New York.
Isn't LAO text speak for Laughing Ass Off? Used when you are just laughing general ass off, rather than your own.
Nice interview and ink Malaika. Rex never shows us his. And nice flow-er of a puzzle, James Mattina.
It feels like the puzzle was trying to make up for yesterday by including PETE Buttigieg and Tarana Burke. Happy to see them both.
ReplyDeleteHello again to everyone after three weeks on the sick list. Found this puzzle easier than Malaika did. Solved it as a themeless.
ReplyDeleteWe were concerned about your disappearance. Glad you’re back.
DeleteStay well and safe
DeleteWelcome back. Stay well.
Delete@Bob Mills 9:17 AM
DeleteThere you are! Phew. Welcome back.
It’s good to have you back Bob. Best wishes for continued good health.
DeleteWelcome back Bob! Good to see you!
DeleteEasy-medium with a great theme. I thought the BEES circles were unnecessary in solving until I realized after finishing that those were the actual crosses. 🤦♂️ And as a double-🤦♂️, around 35% of my finish time was finding one stupid mistype.
ReplyDeleteEasy-Medium, but it felt just right for a Wednesday. I liked it. CROSS-POLLINATION in a crossword: seems like a natural. And what "gunk" there is seemed fairly unobtrusive. No Harry Potter or LOTR or Star Wars. While yesterday's puzzle was NOT FOR ME, today's puzzle was definitely for ME TOO.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how many of the unwritten rules of crossword construction have actually been written down somewhere, but Malaika seems to point to one of them: "You can see that James cordoned off each of the pairs in the corners as best he could, although HIBISCUS does have to intersect with the revealer as well." That particular imperfection (if that's what it is) would never have CROSSed my mind.
ODD NUMBERS. Mathematicians never seem to tire of an in-joke, "Two is the oddest prime of all (because it is the only even one)". Punning aside, they really do mean that 2 is the most peculiar prime of all, an eternal outlier always demanding special consideration of its own as a side case. I'll resist the temptation to illustrate some of the special weird charms of 2 as a prime number, but if I hadn't resisted, I might've told y'all about so-called "perfect numbers" and what they have to do with the prime number 2, and only the prime number 2. (Those who don't know but are curious will just have to click on the link to find out more.)
Thank you, James Mattina, for an enjoyable puzzle.
Malaika, I always enjoy your Wednesdays. If I have to choose a favorite flower, I guess I’d have to say lilacs, just for their incredible smell and brave burst of beauty in the earliest days of spring. My AZALEA shrubs are just budding out here in the southern Midwest, but everyone’s PEONY bushes are in full bloom, and they also put on quite a show. I have a beautiful hardy hibiscus in my backyard but had no idea I could use the flowers to make cocktails . Maybe I need to come to your house during happy hour to learn how. Hint hint. 😉
ReplyDeleteFirst puzzle I’ve done in a while and I loved it. A little challenging for a Wednesday, hardly any junk, and not too many names. But the very best part was the theme. Six different kinds of flowers buzzing with precious, priceless, pollinating BEES … and … my favorite brand of ice cream as a bonus. Try their Coffee or Black Walnut sometime. Trust me. Nicely done, James Mattina. Congratulations on your NYT debut!
I don't have a favorite flower, M, but my dad loved roses. He named his only daughter, my sister, Bonnie Rose, and a fond memory of mine is him watering the rose bushes he planted in our yard in Brooklyn. He passed away when I was only 14, over 60 years ago.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for the great shot of your tattoo!!
I experienced a sort of word association test for 61A, reading the clue about "Mad honey" and throwing in "tupelo" 'cause Van Morrison. And it fit. and it properly crossed TRAM. But not MOOLA so tupelo got tossed and then I realized it was a tree, not a flower. (Could seeing TOLEDO in the grid have sent me down this path? There's a lot of similarity there.)
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle, with all of its cross-pollinated flowers, is very spring-y. I've been enjoying going out into the yard and inspecting the progress of the various plants and flowers. Most but not all of my asparagus plants have put up stalks, the tulips are almost done, my cherry tree is thinking about blooming and the apple is in full blossom. Soon, the rhubarb will be tall enough to harvest but it will be a long time before I'm eating raspberries off the canes, like a black bear might. Spring is my favorite season. Sure, fall has pretty colors but the color of new green leaves can't be beat.
Thanks, James Mattina!
Enjoyed reading your lovely second paragraph.
DeleteAnd recalling this:
You can take all the tea in China
Put it in a big brown bag for me
Sail right around all the seven oceans
Drop it straight into the deep blue sea
etc.
I think an ACTOR is a "company man" because the cast and crew of a performing revue are often referred to as the "company."
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, I'm very familiar with Occam's Razor, but I never knew that OCCAM wasn't the guy's actual first name (having looked it up, I now see that when the entire honorific "William of . . ." is used, it's usually spelled "Ockham").
I have sat on that very bench at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden - wonderful place. Nice to see BEES given their proper due.
ReplyDeleteWish I knew how to post a link here -- I can't hear that word REAPER without thinking of the hilarious (if dark) Firesign Theater game show parody, "Beat the Reaper!"
ReplyDeleteLoved the misdirect on BATMAN. and yes, Alice was, indeed, a VISITOR. I kind of thought this was an easy puzzle. Malaika, I agree, Besties does not equal PALS , if thought it could be bffS or something similar. Malaika, you mentioned you saw Maybe Happy Ending at the Belasco Theatre last week, I saw it the SAME night you did. We loved it. My daughter went to HS with the female lead.
ReplyDeleteCool rose tat, @Malaika darlin. Watch out for BEES, while it's outta that Jeans Prison.
ReplyDeleteNice, complex, flowery puztheme. Clever WedPuzzlin.
staff weeject pick: CBD. Primo no-know crossin another no-know MELB. Cross Perplexation!
honrable mention to SMH, btw.
some fave stuff: ODDNUMBERS. HOLYTOLEDO. MEMPHIS & its 45-rpm label clue. DEARLY & its officiantly tricky clue. NOTFORME. ACTOR clue. All them "vipers". INTRIGUE. SOCRATIC method. Flower-bed-sneaky MULCH clue.
Thanx for the fun, Mr. Mattina dude. And congratz on yer darn good debut.
Masked & Anonymo4Us
p.s.
Runt puzzle:
**gruntz**
M&A
I am totally confused......
ReplyDeleteIf two is the only even number prime, doesn't that make two the ODD NUMBER in the universe of all primes?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis went really fast for me at just over 8 minutes. I noticed there were a lot of flowers, and there were some circles which I ignored. And after finishing I re-read 38 across clue, saw B-E-E-S, and was quite okay with it.
ReplyDeleteOne minor criticism: the themers aren't symmetrical... they're all just a slot or two off. But at least they're consistently off!
I too was mildly irked by MELB crossing CBD (for which, as others have commented, I misread the clue as "units" so had CCS). MELC sounded fine. But when there was no Happy Pencil I tracked it down and fixed it
Reposting - something went awry with the music links.
ReplyDeleteThis seemed easier than Monday or Tuesday. I guess being familiar with most of the flower names helped. And 1D is my sign so I caught on to the misdirect quickly.
Hard to single out one favorite flower but it would have to be gardenia for the scent and for how they bloom all summer long. Gardenia and sweet olive were the first two plants I added to the yard when we moved here 25 years ago.
INTRIGUEd by the Pulitzer-winning composer of whom I hadn’t heard, I listened to some of his works and his recordings of ragtime music (some classics and some his own). It’s good stuff. He studied with Milhaud and Messiaen, among others, and besides the Pulitzer, he also received the National Medal of Arts and a Grammy.
Here’s a collection of rags called
”Heliotrope Bouquet” More flowers! (Bolcom’s rags start at 21:45)
And here is one of his Pulitzer-winning ETUDEs:
"Butterflies, hummingbirds” More pollinators!
Mimi L
Since I solve on paper, I don't get "happy music" when I complete a puzzle successfully -- I have to go with what looks (and feels) right. Since "MELL" is every bit as reasonable (and much more phonetically rational) a nickname as MELB, and since CLD made (and makes) every bit as much sense to me as CBD (whether "units" or "initials" or anything else), I went with MELL and CLD and figured I'd done the right thing. Silly me? Guess I'd better move to Natick.
ReplyDeleteI was undone at the same place as some others have mentioned, around the "Texter's 'I can't even'", "Dispensary inits.", "Scary Spice, by another nickname" and "Bed cover". I had MUL__ for "Bed cover" but was fixated on sleeping rather than planting. Embarrassing since I once had a lawn care business and I've told many people over the years of the importance of MULCH for a healthy plant bed. And today on the NYT opening internet page is an article "The right way to MULCH"!
ReplyDeleteHOLY TOLEDO! I thought BLUE BELL was just a local brand here in deep south coastal Texas. I was surprised to see it in the grid. Okay, looks like they are much broader than that. They do make excellent ice cream.
My favorite flower is the star jasmine. It has a lovely fragrance, blossoms for much of the year and is a hardy grower (needs frequent pruning!). It is relatively salt tolerant which means it does well even hereabouts close to the Gulf of Mexico.
If it's "pollen", why does it become "pollinate? Yes, I did try CROSS POLLENATED at first.
No way Rex would’ve rated this anything above easy-medium. MELB was achievable from the crosses.
ReplyDeleteNot a lot of time this morning but I do want to say how much I enjoyed this Spring-y puzzle. Who doesn't like flowers and bees? And TOMATOes. Not a lot of gunk. I began it last night in a rather foul mood (my hockey teams seem to have forgotten how to win) but finished it with something resembling a smile.
ReplyDeleteNice work, James Mattina. Thanks.
Very easy solve while completely ignoring those dumbass little circles.
ReplyDeleteThen I rolled up the paper and put it in a vase.
Hope you didn't water it. ;-)
Delete¡Santo Toledo!
ReplyDeleteOver before it started and the entire time I'm thinking, "Jeez Louise this thing has too many flowers." Then I find out that's the point. Pretty cute that BEES are the intersection. I knew a bee expert in Colorado and I think he said there's a couple dozen native bee species there and that honey bees are actually an invasive species brought in by guess who. That was a little mind blowing and made me less sweet on honey.
Great sense of humor in this outing. More of this please.
❤️ HOLY TOLEDO. HELLA.
😫 RADII.
People: 8
Places: 3
Products: 2
Partials: 7
Foreignisms: 3
--
Gary's Grid Gunk Gauge: 23 of 78 (29%)
Funny Factor: 6 😅
Uniclues:
1 Fist fight in the garage.
2 Song about Barbie's convertible.
3 Shovels on the rotten tomatoes.
4 Welcome news when the grim one arrives.
1 RESALE INTRIGUE (~)
2 DOLL TRAM ETUDE (~)
3 BOOSTS MULCH (~)
4 REAPER NOT FOR ME
My Fascinating Crossword Uniclue Keepsake from Last Year: It's more about the one-leggedness and less about the pancakes. IHOP FALLACY.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Loved this flower puzzle and its bees! Very clever, and for me straightforward because flowers, not sports and movies! I did trip up on the CBD and MELB cross!
ReplyDeleteSpring is wonderful, sneezy though
I ah-ah-ah . . . agree!
DeleteNice puzzle! It was nice to see my old PAL, AGORA. I also liked the 2 viper clues. Not a fan of "texter's_______" clues but they're here to stay and I imagine they're quite handy for constructors. I love forsythia for their early arrival and bright yellow glow.
ReplyDeleteJust a read an essay and coicidentally there was an excerpt from George Orwell’s “Looking Back on the Spanish War” that notes the prevalence of fake news in the reportage of that conflict. It’s an eye-opening reminder that fake news has been a thing for a long time. Iknow this is a subject from yesterday, but this blog has a history of allowing, what are often called, a clean up from yesterday.
ReplyDeleteThe essay can found on the website The Catholic Thing.
lovely Spring puzzle bees and flowers divine easy Thursday
ReplyDeleteHi all - James here!
ReplyDeleteThank you Malaika for the thoughtful writeup :) My sister made me a margarita for Cinco de Mayo yesterday, so cheers from Canada!
My favourite flower might be the peony... I'm lucky I got to include it. Our daffodils and tulips just bloomed, so I'm also in the swing of spring here. Thanks to everyone who did the puzzle and love reading your thoughts and comments :) Have a great day/week/season!
Hi James. It’s always a highlight when a constructor checks in. I enjoyed your puzzle and share your love of the fragrant PEONY.
DeleteI liked the puzzle. Interesting that Malaika didn’t get the clue with company. As noted it refers to a company of actors.(eg repertory company). I think it was used In Shakespeare’s time.
ReplyDeleteI would say medium until I dnf’d at at MEL? & C?D
Oh well
A Cryptic clue for CBD could be “A mixed up Charlie Daniel's Band, initially”.
ReplyDeleteFun interview, Malaika! And nice tattoo ! Like you, I found the puzzle a little hard for a Wednesday. It may have been all the initializes.
ReplyDeleteLoved the interview, Malaika! As a non-constructor I learned quite a bit :)
ReplyDeleteSo late yesterday, it’s now Thursday noon but I wanted to thank you for an excellent analysis, Malaika, and to chime in on fave flowers. Since I love so many, I have to say Old fashioned Lilacs, Lily of the Vally and Peonies are favorites. I can’t choose just one. And then there’s Snap Dragons, my childhood favorite. Gran had a gigantic stand in a multitude of colors. My daughter an I are trying to start a blooming “meadow” on top of one of the retaining walls and a small cutting garden in pots fenced off from the dang deer that eat everything.
ReplyDeleteGood puzzle, well executed theme and the BEES were a cute additional little sparkle.